Defense Mechanism
by SomethingCalledLife
Summary: In the ninja world, there is no time for dreams. There is only time for the mission. When you live in a world where tomorrow could be your last day, all that matters were the rules: protect those at all cost, fight with honor, sacrifice yourself.
1. Mission announced

"I don't care what your feelings are for me," he hissed, his hold on her arm tighter now. "I don't love you…I can't love you, so get that through your skull. When we are done, we will go back to our lives and forget all of this."

Sakura felt the tears well up in her eyes, but forced herself to not let them fall. She refused to make herself look weak in front of him

"I know that," she snapped. She pulled herself free from his grasp and glared at him. "I wasn't even talking about my_ feelings_ anyways, you jackass."

Sasuke said nothing; he merely narrowed his eyes at her. Sakura turned around and went to her backpack that she placed by a tree before this whole argument started. She went through it and pulled out the blueprints of the location they were going to infiltrate.

"That felt good. I needed to go so bad," Naruto sighed happily. He came out of a bush with his arms folded behind his head and his eyes closed. "Hey, Sakura, when are we going to eat?"

"Soon, Naruto," Sakura sniffed. A few tears fell onto the blueprint as she mentally recited the blueprints of the map. She roughly wiped her face with the back of her hand.

Naruto grinned at her words, but frowned when he heard the sniff. He opened his eyes and saw her crouched down figure. "Sakura?"

"Give me a second, okay, Naruto?" She still wouldn't turn around and look at him. Naruto took a step forward, but paused when he heard Sasuke say, "Leave her alone, Dobe. She'll make your stupid ramen when she's ready."

Naruto chewed his lip as he saw Sakura tense up when Sasuke said that before relaxing again. He turned and found Sasuke leaning against another tree, far away from them two, with his arms crossed and eyes closed. He narrowed his eyes at Sasuke for a while and opened his mouth before he thought better and closed it again. "'Kay, I'll wait," he mumbled. He went towards the fire and sat down, crossing his legs. He turned his head up towards the star filled sky and stared in thought.

Sakura muttered underneath her breath, making herself memorize the blueprints. Her fingers were shaking as she followed the lines. His words hurt, it shouldn't have, but it did. She hated him for making her feel that way, but she hated herself even more for letting herself become so affected.

_He doesn't mean anything. His words don't mean anything. He is nothing, Sakura, nothing. _Sakura took a deep breath and repeated them in her head over and over again

She wished that she wasn't part of this mission with them. With Naruto she could stand, she loved him and he was the best person to be around with, especially on a mission. But with Sasuke…that's a whole other story. Lately, he was vicious towards her; snapping at the most innocent remarks from her and blowing them out of proportion. Today was no exception.

She didn't even know what the hell happened. All she did was say that they needed to slow down and not overdue it. He did just come from another mission and he was still recovering from his wounds. And when he said 'why do you care?' all she answered was that she was worried he would overextend himself. She meant it as a concerned friend and teammate, but he took it to a whole other level. Maybe she should stop trying to be his friend. It's been two years since he returned after fulfilling his revenge and they were still nowhere near from having the friendship he and Naruto shared.

Sometimes, when she was alone in her small apartment and lying down in bed, after a long stressful day of dealing with Sasuke's cruelness, she wished that he never did come back; that he stayed gone and never stepped foot in Konoha again. But then she would remember Naruto's eyes finally becoming bright again like when they were young, when they all used to be so innocent, and she would feel guilty for even thinking about that. He worked so hard to bring him back. Imagine how he would be if Sasuke never returned; but it didn't stop the feelings from returning.

_I don't care what your feelings are for me. I don't love you…I can't love you, so get that through your skull._

Sakura shut her eyes tight. She clenched her fist, her knuckles turning white. She didn't need this. She should have said something during the briefing. What the hell was Tsunade thinking sending these two with her? Usually she did these kinds of missions alone.

"_This mission you are going on has been labeled A-rank. It is extremely dangerous and is the utmost importance that you succeed," Tsunade stared at the three._

Sakura was confused as Tsunade debriefed them about the mission. She already knew about this, but why was she telling Sasuke and Naruto about it? She was supposed to do this alone, right?

"_Finally we get to go on a mission as Team 7," Naruto grinned, pumping his fist into the air. "Too bad Kakashi-sensei had to miss it."_

"That's cause he's doing a mission of his own, remember? Or has your stupidity finally affected your memory?" Sasuke smirked as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"_What was that, Teme?!" Naruto growled._

_Sakura looked at them two bicker, not even bothering to stop it. This happened way too much for her to count and no matter what they weren't going to listen. It almost made her feel jealous of the special bond they both shared. Strange, but special, even an outsider could see that._

_She turned to face Tsunade with an apology on her lips, but hesitated when saw her expression. It was a mixture of a grimace and guilt and Sakura felt dread fill in her. Sakura prayed that the Hokage wasn't going to make her fears come true._

"_Hokage?" Sakura muttered; her eyebrows furrowed in worry._

"_Listen up," Tsunade said, catching the attention of the other two. "Originally Sakura was supposed to do this alone, but we've gotten reports that the target is becoming more dangerous as we speak. Therefore, Naruto and Sasuke will have to go as well."_

"_What do you mean alone?" Sasuke furrowed his brow as he glanced at Sakura quickly._

_Sakura closed her eyes as her nightmare came alive. This was the last thing she ever wanted to happen. _

_Tsunade ignored his comment and continued with the briefing as she opened her desk drawer and pulled out three manila folders. She placed them on her desk and then ran a hand over her bangs. _

_"Sakura's objective is to seduce the target and do whatever is necessary to accomplish the mission," Tsunade said. "She will be in charge and you two are expected to obey."_

_ "You can't be serious! She doesn't have the capability to do this!" Naruto and Tsunade looked at Sasuke as he interrupted Tsunade. Naruto's gaze kept flickering between Sasuke and Tsunade. He wisely kept his mouth shut._

_Tsunade gave a wry smirk towards Sasuke and it grew when she saw him narrow his eyes at her actions. This idiot had no idea what Sakura was capable of. "That is where you are wrong, Sasuke. Sakura is extremely qualified for this mission."_

_Sakura's expression stayed neutral as Tsunade and Sasuke argued over her. But even though to the outside world she looked unaffected, inside she was furious. She felt hot all over as she heard Sasuke insult her over and over again. She clenched her fingers and felt her nails dig into her palms. She half expected them to start bleeding from the amount of pressure she was applying. She wanted to yell and punch Sasuke in the face, but she would not give him the satisfaction of knowing that his words affected her._

_"Enough, Uchiha!" Tsunade growled. Sasuke clenched his teeth at the sound of his last name. "I have made up my mind and whether you like it or not, Sakura is in charge and she is doing this mission."_

_Tsunade stared at Sasuke, challenging him to say anything else. When he stayed silent, she nodded. Her eyes moved to Naruto, who stayed silent throughout the whole argument. She saw Naruto look towards an equally quiet Sakura and then back to Tsunade before giving her a nod of his own. She tried to give him a smile, but it came out more of a grimace._

_ "You guys will pretend to be her bodyguards," Tsunade continued. "Sakura will act as a call girl in the Gazon's Mansion." She picked up the three folders from her desk and gave each one to them. "Rumor has it that girls have been disappearing left and right. You guys need to find out what is going on. Daizo is your target. He's the big chief there. He's been plotting something for Konoha for a while now. Your job to find out what it is and what is the connection with the girls. Are there any questions?"_

_All three shook their heads. "Good. You guys leave tomorrow morning at 0800 hours."_

Sakura slowly opened her eyes. She took another deep breath and folded the blueprint away. It was already branded into her memory; there was nothing more she could do.

Standing up, she put her arms in the air and stretched. She turned and found a sleeping Naruto, arms and legs all over the place. Cups of ramen were scattered around him. How long did she spend daydreaming? She smiled at the scene and went to her own sleeping bag. Pulling it open she climbed in. She noticed that Sasuke was missing; she slightly frowned at this and then shrugged.

"It's not like he needs to be babysat," she muttered and pulled the blanket closer to her chin. She stared at the sky and had a nostalgic moment when Team 7 was younger and would spend the night under the stars after a long D-rank mission. She was such a fool back then, but she was happy. Now, she didn't know what she felt. A loud snore came from next to her and she smiled as she heard Naruto mumble something about ramen before turning on her side and closing her eyes.

From a high tree branch, Sasuke turned his head towards his teammates as he felt Sakura's chakra settle and then become undetected in her sleep. It was a hard skill to master, but it was something that most ninjas in Konoha learned in the academy.

He rolled his eyes when Naruto led out another loud snore. It still amazed him how the idiot was still alive when he was so careless. His eyes strayed onto Sakura's sleeping form again and he couldn't help but narrow them when he thought about the talk him and Naruto had when they left the Hokage's building.

_"That was really uncalled for, you know," Naruto said as he walked next to Sasuke on their way home. He had his eyes closed and his arms folded behind his head. Sakura left a while ago, stating stiffly that she had some paperwork to finish at the hospital and would see them tomorrow._

_"For what?" Sasuke said gruffly._

_Naruto sighed and looked at him from the corner of his eyes. "You've been here for two years and you haven't even tried to be decent towards her. Do you even talk to her?" Sasuke stayed silent. They walked for another 5 minutes without saying anything before Naruto decided to try another approach. "Did you know she is going to apply for ANBU in the spring?"_

_This time Naruto got an answer. Sasuke muttered, "yeah," before shoving his hands in his pockets and looking at the ground as they walked. Naruto peered at him and Sasuke tried to ignore him and the uneasy feeling he was beginning to develop in the pit of his stomach. _

_"Just… try not to give her such a hard time. She deserves respect after everything she's been through."_

Sasuke stared off into the distance as he thought about Naruto's request. Been through? What has she been through that he hasn't? He scoffed. Naruto was just being dramatic as always.

At least Sakura was finally taking her role as a ninja seriously. They had a mission to accomplish and Sakura would do what she needed to make that happen. There was nothing in the briefing about him being nicer to her. She was an adult. She'll get over it. He had better things to spend his time and energy on than worrying about her feelings.

Right now, all that mattered was the mission.

* * *

**I wrote this story a long time ago, under the name of queenofdarkness212, but I didn't like where it was going, so I have decided to rewrite the whole thing. Just wanted to let you guys know, so you wouldn't think that I was plagiarizing.**


	2. Anger

Sakura sighed as she stared at the maid-like uniform in her hands. This is what Daizo wanted when he asked for a call girl? To dress as a maid? Typical. Sakura rolled her eyes as she pulled the uniform over her head. She smoothed out the wrinkles with her hands and then frowned as she noticed that the length of the dress barely made it pass mid-thigh.

"Are you done yet?" Sasuke called out from a distance. Both Sasuke and Naruto had their backs to a tree where Sakura was currently changing behind. "We need to get going."

Sakura could hear the irritation in his voice and she couldn't help but smirk at the fact that Sasuke was already annoyed. He could whine all he wanted, but as long as he remembered who was in charge then she would ignore his whining. To her, this was a small revenge.

"Sakura, seriously though. Can we go already?" Naruto moaned next.

"I'm almost done. Will you guys quit it!" Sakura growled out. Their consistent whining was starting to give her a headache and it wouldn't be long before somebody would get hurt.

She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a make-up bag, complimentary of Ino. It was a birthday gift, for her to draw in the men, but she wasn't a big fan of make-up since she was always training and running shifts late into the night at the hospital. Lately, though, she's been using it for missions since it helped to gain attention from her target more easily.

Finishing up with a smoky eye and light colored lip-gloss, she put everything away and walked out from behind the tree.

"Finally. I thought we were never going to leave…" Naruto trailed off as he turned and stared at Sakura. Sasuke hadn't turned yet, but had an irritated look on his face when he heard Naruto stop talking. As he fully turned as well, though, his expression changed completely. They were both staring at her as if they have never seen her before and, at this point, the silence was making Sakura self-conscious.

She cleared her throat and tugged on the hem of the dress. She then said quietly, "Sorry for taking so long."

At the sound of Sakura's apology, Naruto blinked a few times and shook his head. He then gave a huge grin and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Damn, Sakura, you look _hot_." Sakura blushed at the comment and coughed a few times. Naruto shoved Sasuke with his elbow and gave a laugh. "Don't you agree, Teme?"

Sasuke stayed silent as he continued staring at Sakura. He then blinked a few times as soon as what Naruto said registered through him. He then turned and began to walk away. "We should go now. We've wasted enough time."

This time, Sakura's blush was from anger. She roughly grabbed her bag from the ground and began to mutter underneath her breath. Who the hell did he think he was anyways?!

"Hey, that was uncalled for!" Naruto yelled raising his fist after him.

"It's fine, Naruto. He doesn't know that it takes time to get ready before seducing a target.

I should know, I _have_ been doing this longer than he has. It is his first time anyways," Sakura said, making Sasuke freeze and turn back to narrow his eyes at her. She threw her bag over her shoulder and walked past him, but not before muttering, making him only hear, "You'll learn soon enough why they call _me_ the best in this field."

If this is how he wanted to play, then by all means let the games begin. She was done dealing with his attitude.

They both watched her leave in silence. Naruto turned to look at Sasuke. He shook his head at how naïve Sasuke was. "You know she's clearly pissed at you, right?"

* * *

The rest of the walk was quiet with Sakura leading the whole way there. Naruto was holding her bag and she had a long coat to cover herself until she reached Gazon's Mansion.

Throughout the whole walk, she could feel Sasuke's chakra flaring uncontrollably. She shook her head a couple of times as she realized that he was letting himself make such a rookie mistake just because of her comment. For 20 years old, he could sure throw a tantrum like the rest of the 5 year olds in the world.

It wasn't long before they reached the gates to Gazon's Mansion. Two guards came up to them. "Stop, who goes there?"

Sakura almost wanted to roll her eyes at the cliché phrase. Instead, she plastered on a flirtatious smile and came up to them. "I'm here for Daizo-san." Sakura untied the belt around her waist and pulled her coat open to show off her outfit. "I'm pretty sure I'm to be let passed."

The one on the left smirked and came closer to her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and crushed her body to his. "So you must be the one that everyone's been waiting for."

Sakura blinked in surprise at how confident he was being at touching one of his boss's toys. Usually men like Daizo had followers who were too afraid to go to the bathroom without asking. Sakura tucked the guard's behavior to the back of her mind. He may become useful later on.

"Kein, she needs to go through the boss first," the other one said. Sakura smoothly pulled herself away from Kein's arms.

"You should really listen to your friend, Sugar." She winked at him. "It's better to not anger the boss, right?"

"How about just one kiss then?" Sakura saw his partner roll his eyes. All of a sudden she found herself in a pair of strong arms. She looked up and was surprised to see a scowling Sasuke, glaring vehemently at the guard.

"Who's this?" Kein asked, narrowing his eyes. He put his hand to the hilt of his sword on his waist.

Sakura glared at Sasuke and pulled herself away before plastering that fake smile of hers on again. Time to do some damage control. She strutted herself back to the guard and hoped that he would be distracted to notice anything else.

"He's just my bodyguard. The other one over there is his partner," she pointed with her thumb behind her where she knew Naruto was at, who, for once, looked serious. At least one of them had the ability to stay in cover. "He's just protective over little-oh-me. You know how it is." She batted her eyelashes at him.

He moved his attention onto her and scanned her body up and down with another smirk on his face; her plan succeeding in making him forget about Sasuke. "I don't blame him. Alright we'll let you pass." He looked towards his partner, who nodded, before turning back to Sakura. "Don't forget to come back, Babe."

"Sure thing, Sugar." She faked a cheerful squeal when she felt him smack her bottom. She felt Sasuke and Naruto follow her and when she felt sure that the two guards couldn't see or hear them she swiftly turned around.

"You!" Sakura growled.

"What did I do?" Naruto looked in surprise.

"Not you, you," she pointed towards Sasuke.

Sasuke tilted his head and said, "What?"

"Next time, keep your hands to yourself," she scowled.

This time anger clouded over his face and she could see his body tense up. "So you're telling me that you wanted him to kiss you?" he growled.

"You idiot, that's part of the mission," she almost yelled. "I have to act like that so they won't suspect anything."

"That was acting?" he said lowly, his voice taking a dark edge. "Because it seems to me that you enjoyed being a whore from where I was standing."

Sakura took a step back in shock. How dare he? She then felt anger build inside of her quickly and she snapped.

"If that's what it takes to finish this mission, then yes," she hissed, her eyes glinting maliciously. "Things are different now, Sasuke, and listen here…" She poked him hard in the chest. "There are things that I'm going to have to do to get the information that we need. I am in charge and what I say goes. And frankly, I don't care if you don't like it." Sakura took a step closer. She felt Sasuke further tense up due to her proximity and she smiled darkly. She stared into his swirling dark eyes and whispered lowly. "Right now, you don't matter to me. In my mind you're nothing, you hear? So stop embarrassing yourself and start acting like a ninja instead of a damn child."

With that being said, Sakura turned and stormed off towards Gazon's Mansion. Naruto swallowed as he watched Sakura walk away. He looked at Sasuke and, although, he saw Sasuke's face neutral, Naruto didn't fail to notice his clenched fists and slightly shaking form. He knew that Sasuke was trying to act like nothing happened, but this time, he could see that Sakura's words affected him. This wasn't like any other day where he could just brush off any vile thing being thrown at him by Konoha citizens. This time it was Sakura and sooner or later, he's going to have to acknowledge the fact that the Sakura he left a long time no longer existed.

Naruto sighed as he thought about that. The world would have to be ending before Sasuke would ever do such a thing. He then shoved his hands in his pockets and followed after the now pink dot in front of him. "Come on, Sasuke. Let's get this over with."


	3. Target sighted

Sasuke gritted his teeth as he tried to ignore the catcalls and looks that were being thrown towards Sakura. He had the urge to shove his chidori down their throats. Didn't they have any shame? Every single one of them: a disgrace.

He looked in disgust as he saw the drool practically come out of their mouths and drip to the ground. How are they supposed to kill their target if there were millions of eyes on them at every second?

One poor and naïve soul tried to come closer to them and Sasuke's expression darkened in such way that the young sap looked like he had just seen the devil himself. Sasuke felt a twinge of satisfaction when he saw the idiot's eyes widen and then scramble away with a loud yelp. They were all weaklings. As if they would be to handle a woman like Sakura.

"Sasuke, you idiot, answer me when I'm talking to you!" His head moved forward from the impact directed towards the back of his head. Sasuke glared at Naruto who was snickering next to him, then to Sakura.

"What?" he growled at her.

"Don't you dare growl at me," Sakura hissed. "I wouldn't have had to hit you if you'd answered me in the first place."

She put her hands on her hips and gave him a hard stare. Sasuke turned his head away from her. She was annoying as usual. Even with that outfit she had on.

"Sasuke we really need to focus here. I know what I'm doing so trust me when I say we have to play our part perfectly."

"Why perfectly? It seems like these guys are too busy to pay any attention to anything else except one thing," Naruto said dully. He put his arms behind his head while looking at all the men whose eyes were practically glowing in lust.

"For once the Dobe is right," Sasuke ignored the 'Hey, I resent that' from Naruto.

"Still it's better to be safe than sorry. It takes just one to mess up our mission," Sakura whispered while smiling at the men.

"Are you sure? Cause it seems like you're enjoying this too much," he said while looking at the passing houses.

"Well it doesn't hurt to have some fun while we're here, does it?" Sasuke snapped his head back towards Sakura and narrowed his eyes when he saw her smirking.

"We shouldn't be fighting guys," Naruto said nervously. He could practically taste the tension between them two and half feared they would go at it right here in the middle of town. Maybe Tsunade was crazy to send them both with Sakura in a mission like this?

"Whatever." Sasuke scoffed and walked ahead of them. He shoved his hands in his pockets and glared at another stupid idiot that came too close. He felt his eyes begin to shift, but managed to control the Sharingan from coming out. This was stupid. He needed to calm down and stop acting this way. If Sakura wanted to fuck these men, then that's fine; he didn't care what the hell she did as long as she did her job.

"Ne, Sakura I don't think that was the best thing to do," Naruto said. He eyed Sasuke's tensed form and frowned in the way that every man that came too close to Sasuke seemed to run away with their tails between their legs.

"So?" Sakura shrugged. She could care less if she hurt the fool's feelings. "He already thinks I'm a whore, might as well play the role."

"But Sakura, you shouldn't—."

"Naruto, just drop it, okay?" She rubbed her head as she felt a headache begin to form. "I just don't care what he thinks anymore alright. If that's what he wants to believe, then that's fine."

"But Sakura, he's our friend. You shouldn't be thinking like that."

"No, Naruto, he's _your _friend. He never was and never will be my friend. He doesn't want to be one with me and if that's what he wishes for then I'll gladly give him the space that he wants. Right now we're just teammates on a mission. After this we'll go back to our lives and forget all of this," Sakura frowned as she found herself echoing his words. Maybe this was for the best.

"I just wish you guys would _try_ to get along with each other," Naruto muttered before becoming quiet.

Sakura felt guilty for making Naruto feel that way. She wish she could grant his wish and make him happy, but as she stared at Sasuke's back, she knew it was for the best. She wanted nothing more than to have Sasuke acknowledge her at least as a human being, but either he refused to change or he just couldn't get passed her twelve-year-old self.

Over the years, when she thought about why Sasuke chose revenge over friendship, she realized that her younger self's action was not the best way to convince him to stay. He was already a broken man, tainted with darkness at such a young age. Acting like a raging lunatic who thought she knew everything was not the best; that's why over the two years since he's been back, she has kept her distance. She wanted him to know that she was perfectly capable of creating a friendship without expecting anything more from him, but nothing changed. Nothing ever changed. He still saw her weak and useless and annoying.

Well no more. After this mission, he will know that she was no longer the same girl. The Sakura he knew no longer existed and Sakura will be damned before she brought her back.

Sakura shook her head of her unwanted thoughts and set her eyes up ahead.

A mansion came up ahead and they could only guess it was the one they were looking for. It looked pretty from the outside and if one was just a traveler one wouldn't think anything more about it, but luckily these three did. Flowers were planted around it and the sun shone down, caressing the large, wooden house as the women, who resided behind its closed doors, did to their men in exchange for shelter, food, and safety.

"I guess this is it," Naruto muttered. Sakura nodded her head and sucked in a deep breath. Sasuke stopped walking and waited for them at the bottom of the steps to the mansion. He looked back with a frown, but she ignored it.

"You behave," she whispered towards Sasuke who did nothing but narrow his eyes at her. "If everything goes according to plan, we won't be here for long."

They both climbed the steps and the doors opened. They walked inside and saw, all the way at the end, past all the servants and guards buzzing around, Daizo sitting on his makeshift throne.

Target sighted.


	4. Exposure

Sakura sighed as she folded her uniform and stuffed it into a drawer. She looked around her small bedroom and bit her lip at how she almost rather stay on the single, white bed than to go out and continue her act. She still wanted to stick it to Sasuke and prove to him that she was capable in this mission, but the pretending was still tiring.

She slid a hand through her short, pink locks and took a deep breath. Blowing air out, she stood straighter and went through her duffel bag once again. Even if she hated this part of her job, she still had to get it done. Besides, it wasn't as if she could run off and let Naruto and Sasuke take charge of this mission.

Sakura let out an amused snort as a mental image of Naruto's henge took over her mind. Like they would ever believe that.

Then again, one never knew.

"Are you ever going to be done?" Sakura turned around and saw Sasuke leaning against the doorframe in his black outfit to blend in the dark for their hunt for clues. She clicked her tongue in annoyance and turned her back on him.

Silence filled the air as she continued to unpack. Sakura could practically feel the hair on the back of her neck begin to stand as she moved around the room. She didn't know why, but Sasuke's hawk-like gaze on her form was beginning to irritate her and she reacted the only way she knew how.

"What?!" Sasuke blinked in surprise at Sakura's outburst. "Will you _stop_ doing that?!"

Sasuke regarded her for bit before answering. "Doing what?"

Sakura put her hands on her head and began to pull her hair out in frustration. Her hand slid down her face and she sighed heavily. "You're driving me crazy right now."

Sasuke opened his mouth to answer her, but closed it when Naruto walked through the door.

"Are you done yet? Everyone left for the festival…" Naruto said putting on his black gloves. He paused when he saw his two teammates ignore him and continue staring at each other. Sakura was the first to break eye contact and worked on zipping up her own black, slim outfit.

Sakura finished by securing her weapon pouch to her leg and walked past Sasuke, who refused to move. She could still feel his stare as she avoided eye contact.

Naruto furrowed his brows as he looked at Sasuke. "What was that?"

"Nothing," Sasuke muttered. He shoved his hands in his pocket and followed Sakura.

Naruto looked at the ceiling and prayed to the heavens that they all came back home in one piece before trudging after them. At least they weren't at each others throat.

* * *

Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto landed on the roof and crouched down to hide in the shadows. Sakura peered over and saw hundreds of people smiling and enjoying themselves. She almost felt envious at all the carefree expressions on their faces. When was the last time she was able to enjoy such an event?

Over the next building, she saw all the lights turn off. She waited a few seconds and sure enough two guards walked out of the front door. They were finished with their patrol in Daizo's building, just as scheduled.

"What do we do now?" Sasuke muttered and flickered his dark eyes to Sakura's only to get caught with her own dark jade ones.

Sakura quietly cleared her throat and forced the blush that threatened to stain her cheeks. _Stop it, Sakura. _She looked down and pulled two headpieces out her fanny-pack from her hip.

"You're coming with me," she responded quietly. As an afterthought she added, "I can't trust you with Naruto. You might end up killing him and we can't afford to waste time to get rid of his body."

"I'm right here," Naruto whispered fiercely.

Sasuke let out an amused smirk and shook his head. Sakura cursed herself when she felt her heart speed up at the sound.

"Naruto, I want you to spy on the building while Sasuke and I go into Daizo's office. Here's your headpiece so you can warn us if there are any guards coming our way."

She threw it at him and rolled her eyes as she watched him fumble with it. Sakura turned to Sasuke and saw him frown. Chances were he wasn't too happy with the pairing. Too bad. "Here, this one's yours."

"Where's yours?" Naruto asked as he put on the headpiece.

Sakura grimaced at his question. "The third one unfortunately broke a while back. We'll just have to make due with what we have." She scanned her surroundings to make sure nobody was close enough to see them sneak into the building. She looked at Sasuke and nodded at him. "Let's go."

All three jumped and disappeared with a flash of blue, pink, and orange.

Sakura landed on a branch with Sasuke next to her. On another tree, she saw Naruto land behind some leaves and throw two thumbs-up and a grin. In the dark, she was barely able see him say something into the speaker.

"Dobe," she heard Sasuke mutter next to her. She shook her head and let out a small smile. They were never going to change, were they? In her amusement, she failed to notice Sasuke's glance to her smile and the twitch of an upper movement from his lips.

Together they jumped down into an open window that led straight to Daizo's office. The room was dark and Sasuke activated his Sharingan to help him see. It took a little longer for her to get her eyesight used to the darkness. That was partially why she wanted him to come with her. His Sharingan could help her see things that she might have missed due to the lack of light.

Sasuke went to Daizo's filing cabinet, while Sakura went to his desk. Ruffling through papers, she frowned when she noticed they were receipts. All of them were filled with different amounts. One was a receipt of $1000 another $500. They were all from small towns and villages that Konoha considered almost enemies with.

Opening a drawer, Sakura saw a long list and noticed that they were all female names. Some were scratched out and others had stars next to them. Her frown deepened when she saw that the ones with stars were labeled with numbers between 1 and 5.

"Sakura." She looked up at the person who whispered her name.

"What?" She said as she took out a small, silver slim camera from her breast pocket and took quick pictures of the documents she found.

"Naruto just informed me that two guards are coming."

"Let's go then." She looked through the drawers again and, satisfied that she didn't miss anything, closed them.

"No time." He shook his head. He gave a sneer at the window before looking back at her. "The Dobe took too long to inform us. They'll see us jump out of here if we do."

Sakura sighed and looked at her surrounding. She noticed a couch there and figured that it was big enough for one person to hide. "Go behind that couch."

"What about you? You can't turn invisible in case you've forgotten."

Sakura faintly heard two people chattering. They were getting close. She swiftly turned towards Sasuke and pushed him to the couch. "Just go. I already have my own hiding spot." She saw him open his mouth for a retort but she whispered quickly as she heard the door unlock. "Just do it!"

He closed his mouth with a snap and gave a sharp nod before doing as told. She quickly ran a small amount of chakra all over her body and jumped to lay flat on the ceiling. It was a trick she learned a while ago and she was always grateful to have it in times like this. She wiggled her nose slightly as her hair fell over her shoulder.

The door opened and two guards drunkenly walked in. "I'm telling you, man. That chick over there was hot."

Sakura stayed silent and drew in a breath when she saw them begin to stumble towards the couch. She quietly jumped down and wrapped her hand around one of the guard's mouth before striking him with a pin to the side of his neck. He went limp and fell harshly to the ground. The other one turned around when he heard a noise behind him.

His eyes grew in horror when he saw Sakura over his partner's form on the ground. He opened his mouth to scream, but Sakura flickered in front of him and covered his mouth. "Now don't do that."

She drew out a long needle from her back pocket and struck him in the side of his neck, just as she had done to his partner. She felt his body go rigid before falling.

"I could have taken care of them, you know." Sasuke said as he got up from his crouched position.

Sakura hummed as she went to grab the needles from the two dead forms. She wiped them on her pants and shoved them back in her back pocket. "Yes you could have, but, knowing you, it would have been messy."

Sasuke made a noise from the back of his throat before shoving his hands in his pockets. He tilted his head when he saw Sakura begin to pick one of the guards and put him over her shoulders. "What are you doing?"

Sakura scowled. "Well, we can't leave them here. We have to get rid of the bodies."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and walked to the other form on the ground. He picked the body up and told Naruto, through his headpiece, to head back to the room and that they'll meet him there soon.

Sakura nodded at him and peered out of the window to make sure no one was around. Noticing that everyone already left to travel further into town for the festivities, she quickly jumped out. Sasuke soon followed after and they both headed to the densely placed forest located not too far from the building.

* * *

Sakura and Sasuke watched the bodies begin to disintegrate into the flames. They didn't have to worry about the flames being discovered by the guards around town since at this moment, they were letting out fireworks into the sky. A kaleidoscope of colors filled the night sky and Sakura tore her eyes from the flames to stare at them.

"Sakura, let's go." Sakura looked at Sasuke and couldn't help but notice how his hair glowed from the lights. She could almost see the dark tinges of blue mixed into his black locks. He looked different with the moonlight shining around him and Sakura realized that although she was still angry with him, although she didn't want anything to do with him after this was all over, she would always have these feelings. She wanted to hate him, but even after all this time, she couldn't make herself do it.

A whimper in the distance pulled her out of her thoughts and she saw Sasuke tense up, letting her know that he heard it too. Both of them took out a kunai from their pocket and grasped it in their hands as they stood back to back. Their eyes scanned their surroundings; ears perked up for the slightest sound. They heard the whimper again and were able to locate it from a bush in front of Sakura. Sasuke turned around and they nodded at each other.

Sakura took a step forward before a hand on her shoulder pulled her back. She looked back and saw Sasuke shake his head. For once, Sakura held her tongue and agreed to listen to Sasuke. She took a step back and let him go ahead as she continued to scan her surroundings for anyone else.

When she heard a loud intake of breath coming from where Sasuke was looking at, she let her curiosity get the better of her and went to see what made him make such a noise. Peering over his shoulders, she couldn't help but gasp at what she saw.

Laying in her own pool of blood was a young woman. Stab wounds covered her body and Sakura mentally counted the wounds as she pushed Sasuke out of the way and landed on her knees; her hands already glowing green with chakra.

For a second the young woman's eyes fluttered open, but the relief Sakura felt quickly vanished when she coughed up blood. It splattered onto her cheek, but she ignored it.

"Come on, stay with me here. Focus on my voice." Sakura pushed in more chakra. Her wounds were barely closing. "What's your name? What were you doing out here?"

The young woman opened her mouth to respond, but was only able to gurgle out more blood. It overflowed in her mouth and began to slide down on the side of her face. Sakura felt her heart pounding harshly in her chest. Her eyes quickly scanned around the area for any clues to indicate why she was there, but there was nothing.

The young woman spat out more blood into the air and Sakura focused once again on the woman. Oh god, she was losing her.

She felt frustrated tears begin to build up. "Come on. Don't leave me just yet." Sakura's voice cracked a little as she saw the light in the woman's brown eyes begin to fade. She couldn't die. She was so young to die like this. What was she _good_ for damn it if she couldn't save someone in need?! She was supposed to be the best!

Sakura pushed in more chakra, but the more she did the less the woman's heart beat. Her chest stopped rising and that was when Sakura finally pulled away. She stared at the woman for a while before silently standing up and pulled out the camera. She was evidence and everything that happened at Daizo's Mansion, in and out, had to be recorded and sent to Konoha.

Her hands shook as she aimed the camera above the woman. It was hard for her to focus the frame on her mangled body. It was even harder through Sakura's blurry vision. A pair of warm hands placed themselves on top of her bloody ones and she stared up into a pair of dark eyes. Sasuke gently took the camera out her hands and did her job for her. He then gave it back to her so she could put it away.

"What do we do with her?" She muttered. Her eyes glazed over as she stared at the young woman.

Sasuke grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around so she wouldn't have to look at the young woman. "Sakura, we're going to have to leave her."

She looked at Sasuke in horror and felt bile reach up into her throat. How could he be so heartless? Sensing her alarm, he tightened his hold on her shoulders. "Listen to me, Sakura. Someone obviously did this and if we move her we may put our mission in jeopardy."

Sakura moved her head to the side and closed her eyes. He was right. He was always fucking right. She was going to have to rot here. Alone.

"Okay."

Sasuke slowly nodded and hesitantly reached forward to wipe the drop of blood that was on her cheek. He then let go of his hold on her and took a step back. Sakura looked at him and gave him a weak smile. For once they were both able to act human and although Sakura was the one to show her humanity, by the occasional glances thrown towards to the young woman's body as he tried to (dare she say it?) console her, she knew that Sasuke felt the loss.

As they jumped into the trees and quickly headed back to their rooms, Sakura was able to finally begin feeling thankful that Tsunade decided to send him with her.


	5. Revealed

Sasuke stared up at the ceiling with his arms behind his head.

It was currently 3am and he couldn't go to sleep. Images of what happened hours ago kept flashing through his mind. He shouldn't be feeling this way, but for some odd reason his mind wouldn't let him forget what had transpired in Daizo's office and in the woods.

Naruto was definitely right the more he thought about it. A lot has changed. Sakura was no longer the girl he remembered when he left Konoha. The way she killed those guards in the office forced his eyes to open. She had no fear doing her job. She knew what must be done, even if it meant sacrificing her soul little by little.

He frowned as he thought more about it. Sakura was the last person he ever thought to become such a killer. Yes, they were all ninjas. Soldiers to their village, but the thought of Sakura becoming tainted, _unpure_, bothered him. _He _should be the only one to become dark. Even Naruto was further from the place of hell he placed himself in.

Sasuke closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

They were both better than him. They got stronger on their own. He had to leave to get to the level that they were now. He had to sacrifice everything to achieve a power that matched theirs. He was slightly stronger than they were, but when one thought about it, they were almost the same level.

What a mess his life has become. All the blood, sweat, and tears wasted throughout the years to reach some stupid goal.

Served him right.

Sasuke turned his head and stared at the sleeping forms of Naruto and Sakura on their own beds across the room. His lips twitched a little when he heard Naruto give a loud snore and then mumble something about ramen. His eyes then strayed to Sakura. She was on her side and facing towards him. Her arm was bent and her hand lied limp on her side. Her hair gently caressed the side of her face.

Sasuke turned onto his side and continued staring.

His thoughts scrambled together and spewed out the last event that happened hours ago. The sight of her desperation to save the woman almost made him feel (dare he say it?) helpless.

She tried so hard to save her.

But what really bothered him was how she didn't ask him to console her when they returned; she didn't even mention anything to Naruto. All she did was force a smile onto her face and bid Naruto a good night. She laughed at how impatient he was when he started whining about them taking so long in the woods and then announced that she was going to take a shower. Naruto was already jumping into bed, but unfortunately (or fortunately?) for Sasuke his bed was next to the bathroom. It was when the door closed did he hear the beginning of a muffled sob.

* * *

Sakura was walking down the hallway in search of some breakfast. She woke up early and was starving beyond belief. She could have made breakfast in their small kitchen, but the boys were still sleeping and she didn't want to disturb them. Not to mention the fact, she didn't want to deal with Naruto's never ending stomach.

The hallway was deserted and there was no one around. She didn't even know if she was heading the right way. For all she knew it could be on the other side of the building.

Turning a corner, Sakura bumped into a hard form and she stumbled backwards a bit before straightening up. When she glanced up, she opened her mouth to apologize, but closed it shut when she saw a pair of dark familiar eyes staring down at her.

Sakura inwardly scowled but thankfully kept her face neutral enough. It was too early to be fighting with Sasuke right now. She mentally counted in her head before she heard the insult that was sure to come.

"Where have you been?" Sakura blinked and then peered up at him. He avoided eye contact when he asked her that and was looking at the garden that outside the patio.

She hesitated for a bit; waiting to see if he would add anything more to his question. When he didn't she finally said, "I couldn't sleep."

Sasuke nodded. "You weren't in the room when I woke up."

Sasuke returned his attention to her and Sakura let out a small smile. She noticed how this time he seemed to almost relax. She was confused, but didn't ask about his change of attitude.

Instead, she said, "I was going to get some breakfast."

And before she could stop herself she added, "Do you – maybe – want to come with me?"

Sakura snapped her mouth shut in slight shock. Where the hell did that come from?

Silence filled the air for a bit and Sakura would have done anything if only it got her away from the awkward tension. She mumbled a "never mind" and walked around him with her head down.

She reached the end of the hallway before she heard her name.

Sakura paused and turned around to see Sasuke's hands shoved in his pockets and looking once again outside.

"You're going the wrong way." He then turned and walked down the other side of the hallway before stopping five paces away. He half turned and looked at her with a smirk that brought back so many unwanted memories and feelings. "Well? Are you coming?"

Sakura had to bite her lip from the smile she _knew_ was threatening to show as she ran up to him.

* * *

In the afternoon, Sakura found herself alone with Sasuke and spent the whole time trying not to make eye contact with him after the whole fiasco that happened earlier today.

All thanks to Naruto.

That bastard.

He had complained for hours about not being able to do anything since they gotten here and how he thought he was going to die if some action did not happen soon. It took Sakura's entire being not to throttle him over the head and was actually grateful when Sasuke had enough and promptly kicked him out of the room. He sulked a bit when he looked at Sakura for support only to see her standing next to Sasuke with her arms crossed over her chest and agreeing with him.

He left, but not before saying something like "you guys act like you're my parents" and "why don't you do us all a favor and just shag each other then".

He meant to say that to himself, but when he heard Sasuke's sharp intake of breath and saw Sakura's red face, he smirked at them both and then practically _strutted_ out of the room, declaring that he would leave them for some _alone_ time if they wanted it so badly.

She hadn't seen Sasuke's face when Naruto said that, but Naruto's words most likely ruined the slow, _very slow_, development of their friendship.

Sasuke didn't say anything about Naruto's comments, but as they stood in silence in their make shift little kitchen making dinner, she couldn't help but deflate a little at Sasuke's lack of reaction. She didn't know why it bothered her, but it did. And the more she revisited that memory, the more she began to bash on herself.

Sasuke's lack of reaction and silent treatment was probably do to the fact that he was disgusted with the idea of even thinking about sleeping with her. He was disgusted with her when they were younger; obviously nothing had changed since then.

The only thing that has changed was that he now saw her as a whore. All men usually did when they knew what her missions fully entailed.

She remembered the way Kakashi-sensei had looked at her after they succeeded their first mission together. His eyes changed whenever he looked at her now and sometimes when he was smiling down at her during their rare meals together she could almost see a speck of judgment in them. It had made her furious and then heartbroken that the only father figure she looked up to, thought of her as nothing more but a little tart. After that, she stopped looking for him to have dinner with her and he hasn't bothered to contact her either.

That was six months ago.

_You're nothing but a whore, Sakura._

Sakura was so lost in thought and practically forcing the tears away, as she prepared dinner, that she didn't realize she said that last part out loud until she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders roughly turning her to stare into a pair of dark swirling eyes.

He stood hovering over her and Sakura was sure that his hair was standing even straighter from how furious he looked.

"What did you say?" he said. Sakura actually shrank a little as she opened and closed her mouth. She never realized how tall and intimidating he actually was until this moment.

"What did you say?" He repeated, this time much firmer.

But this time, instead of shrinking further into the edge of the counter, she looked at him curiously as she fully took into his words.

"Why would you care?" She said.

"Don't ever say that again," he practically snarled out.

But instead of feeling flattered from this, she grew irritated and that quickly escalated to anger; which unfortunately for her, made her say the first thing that came to mind. If she _knew_ the type of response she was going to get, she would have done a better job at shutting her trap.

"Why?" she snapped out. "You called me that before, remember? According to you, that's what I am."

And just like that, the anger quickly disappeared as she saw all traces of his leave his face. His eyes turned flat and cold, but she could still see them swirl with contained fury. She also hadn't realized that he was practically shoving her against the counter until he took a step back and she had more air to breathe.

She almost felt scared as he gave her one last fleeting look before walking over to the door and slamming it shut behind him.

She _also_ almost panicked when she realized that what she thought she saw in his eyes as fury was nothing more than guilt.

Great, now she was the bad guy.

She was going to kill Naruto.

* * *

Naruto slowly emerged from the forest with dirt and cuts all over his face and jumpsuit. He paused when he noticed Sasuke standing in the distance with a cigarette in his hand and blowing out smoke.

"Since when did you smoke?" He asked as he walked up beside him and leaned against a tree. He crossed his arms across his chest and he tilted his head as he saw Sasuke drag another puff, making the burned edge glow orange for a second in the dark, and blow out smoke from his mouth with his eyes closed.

"Since forever," Sasuke answered quietly. Naruto furrowed his brow as he watched Sasuke continue smoking. The way he was standing, one hand shoved into his pocket, head slightly down, and whole body tensed made him think something had definitely gone wrong while he was gone.

"Sasuke? Are you okay?" Naruto asked. He bit his lip as he saw Sasuke tense further and stay quiet. It seemed like he was trying to figure out what to say, but didn't know what.

It didn't take a genius to know who put him into this state. Ever since they were kids, only one person was able to affect Sasuke in _any _way. Back then it was because she irritated the hell out of him. Now. Well now Naruto didn't know why Sakura affected him so much. She did her job as any fine ninja. Better than most and she wasn't following him around like she didn't have anything better to do.

She had a life completely separated from Sasuke.

Naruto stared harder at Sasuke as he thought about this.

Sakura no longer talked about him. She no longer sought him out or his approval. She no longer called him Sasuke-_kun_.

A given fact that surprised even Naruto when she first saw him after 2 months returning to the village. They had bumped into each other as she was coming back from a mission, with Kakashi-sensei, that made her reek of sweat and blood and shame – a side effect of using the Kyuubi chakra so much in the past.

She had wrapped her arms around herself and looked like she wanted nothing more than to leave, but for some reason she stayed and gave a half-hearted smile as Kakashi-sensei chatted Naruto and Sasuke for a bit.

Sasuke answered in short, simple sentences, but Naruto couldn't help but notice how his eyes almost didn't leave Sakura's quiet form or how they narrowed when she seemed to answer back without really engaging as her eyes scanned everywhere but them whenever Kakashi-sensei would ask her something.

That was another person he had to talk to. He was disappointed to hear how Kakashi-sensei was treating Sakura when she told him everything on one of those nights when they wanted to get drunk and forget. She had told him about her missions, how she thought she was forever dirty and that no man would ever want her now.

She had told him how she was going to do her job because she was the best damn it and no one was going to take that away from her, even if Kakashi-sensei looked at her differently and was probably judging her like the rest of the people in Konoha.

All this self-deprivation caused Sakura to hole herself up; to become hard, to become indifferent and to, no matter what, never become weak again.

Sakura changed and Sasuke didn't know how to react.

That was it.

Naruto smiled sadly at his confused and defensive friend. Sasuke missed the old Sakura and now that she was no longer there, he didn't know how to behave. Being cruel and detached and impassive was the only way he knew how to act to others and to himself.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked. Sasuke tossed the finished cigarette to the ground and grinded his feet on top of it to light it out. He turned his head towards Naruto, reaching into his pocket and taking out another cigarette from its small packet.

"Do you like Sakura?"

* * *

...I finally had some inspiration. If you look closely, you can see that I've been reading way too many Harry Potter fanfics. There are a couple british words that have become almost a daily vocabulary in my head.

Do you know which ones?...


	6. The Center

Sasuke shifted his feet for second and Naruto saw his eyes flicker quickly towards him before looking back down at the cigarette in his hand. Sasuke reached into his pocket and took out a lighter. Placing the cigarette in his mouth, he lit up the lighter and placed the small flame to the end of the cigarette. He inhaled slowly and the edge of the cigarette glowed orange, followed by a string of smoke coming out of it.

Naruto patiently watched him as he did this. When Sasuke continued to stay silent, Naruto led out a sigh and turned his head to the setting sun. The sky was a swirl of orange and blue and purple, gently caressing the wisps of clouds that were slowly moving. It was never ending and, if Naruto stared hard enough, he could make out the dots of light, revealing the stars' hidden places that were invisible in the daylight.

"Naruto," Sasuke said quietly. His back was now facing him, but he could still see the smoke surrounding Sasuke's frame. "I'm sorry."

Naruto blinked in surprise and continued staring at him. He didn't know what to say. For as long as he's known him, Naruto had never heard him utter those words.

He sometimes wondered if he ever regretted any of the things that he's done from his past. Naruto knew he thought about it often enough. When Sasuke finally came back, soaked in another's blood and limping through the gate, he was quieter; almost sad, really. The silence he carried around him was no longer filled with anger and resentment, but with guilt. It was as if he was reflecting the things that he experienced during his many years away from Konoha.

It wasn't until Naruto and Sakura were debriefed on the truth about Itachi, Konoha, and the Uchiha clan did he finally understand. It must have torn the rest of Sasuke's soul to pieces when he learned the reason why his brother killed their clan.

Sasuke inhaled one last time on the cigarette and dropped it onto the ground, his feet grinding on top of it to light it out. He shoved his hands inside his pockets and turned around to walk back inside the building.

"You know I forgave you a long time ago, right?" Naruto said as he pushed himself off the tree and caught up with him.

Sasuke furrowed his brows as he continued walking next to him.

"But will she ever be able to?"

Naruto turned his head to look at him. "She will." Sasuke looked up and his mouth twitched a little as he saw Naruto's bright smile.

"She always has."

* * *

The next day, Sakura woke up before the boys once again. She was getting used to waking up before them. In the beginning, she wondered how they could continue sleeping for long but then realized that her body must have adjusted itself to the early morning shifts when she worked at the hospital and it wasn't going to change anytime soon by the looks of it.

She actually preferred it better this way, though. She had time to reflect and think of new areas they haven't scouted yet for more information. And by doing this, she was able to concentrate more on the mission than her barely existing relationship with Sasuke.

She just wanted it all to be finished. It was getting harder each day to control herself around him and, truthfully, it just made her confused. At first, he was the same prick that she's always known, but now he was starting to act different.

She didn't know how she felt about him anymore.

Before, it was easier to be angry with him. Now, her anger was slowly disappearing and only bitterness was in its place. She didn't want that. She didn't want to stop being angry with him. She wanted to hate him. It kept herself at a distance. He brought nothing but pain and if she continued to let these foolish feelings of hope and guilt grow, she was going to get hurt again.

She didn't even know why he was actually still here.

Sometimes, she half expected to wake up one day and find out that he decided to leave again.

She remembered the first year after he came back. In the beginning, it was so hard for her to not go to his house to check up on him; just to see if he was still there.

However, once she got over the fact that he wasn't going to pack and leave again, she tried to include herself in his life. She wanted to show him that she changed; that she wasn't the annoying and weak twelve year old he left all those years ago. She was stronger, both mentally and physically, but he could never see her in that way.

Hell, her first attempt at conversation with him was a disaster. She had invited him to have ramen with her as a way to break the ice and find a way to start a friendship with him. He said no, which was what she expected, but when she tried to persuade him into going with her by stating that one lunch date was not going to kill him, that was when she finally stopped living in lies and accepted the truth about him.

She remembered how he had looked at her with his dull eyes and calmly said that if she had time to be begging for dates then she should be using it to train instead.

He then had the nerve say underneath his breath how _pathetic_ she still was and figured that some people would just never changed.

She figured he hadn't meant to say that out-loud by the way he looked slightly startled from her sharp intake of breath. Their eyes had clashed and she recalled seeing something flicker in them, but didn't give it anymore thought as she pushed her feelings away and wrapped it up in a mask.

The smile she had presented him earlier was gone and she had stood up straighter as she calmly faced him that day.

Sakura's lips twitched as she remembered his reaction to this. He had tensed after that, as if expecting some sort of attack from her.

She often wondered why she didn't demand for blood from him then. After everything, she had the right to ask for a damn pitcher of it.

Instead, she had stiffly nodded at him and then promptly walked out of his life without another word.

He didn't search for her to apologize and she never mentioned his name.

Naruto was upset, of course, when she finally told him why she was never around when Sasuke was. She really didn't want to hurt him anymore, but after the millionth time of him whining for her to join to them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, she had snapped.

He had looked so devastated that day.

He desperately wanted Team 7 to reunite and become a family, but the truth was, Sakura was never part of it in the first place. Kakashi was the dad, Sasuke and Naruto were the brothers, and Sakura…well, she, was the black sheep. The one who never fit in and always ended up alone in the end.

Team 7 was over for her. It now consisted of just them three.

The way it always was from the very beginning.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the shuffle of sheets from Sasuke's bed. She had her back to him as she finished brushing her hair and then went to put on her shoes.

She needed to get out of here.

Looking over her shoulder, from her bent form as she adjusted the strap on her sandal, she saw Sasuke rub his eyes before blinking a few times towards her direction.

"I'm going to out and scout for more information," she said as she stood up and tapped the front of her foot on the ground to settle her footing in the sandal.

"You shouldn't go out alone." Sakura frowned as she smoothed out the end of her skirt.

"I can take care of myself, Sasuke." Her tone was clip and short as she glanced at him. She quickly pocketed her keys from the small table and headed to the front door. Sasuke opened his mouth to say something else, but she ignored him as she opened the door and closed it after her.

She would have slammed it, but Naruto was still sleeping.

* * *

Sakura quietly walked down the hallway. She placed her fingers to her mouth as she walked in thought.

There was one place she hadn't checked, but it was dangerous to go alone. It was Daizo's rooms. There had to be more information there. It had to be where he could access them easily. She needed to get in there, but the problem was that it was heavily guarded. She couldn't risk her mission on a whim when she wasn't even sure if there was anything worthwhile in there.

Sakura's frown deepened.

The best way to get in there would be to the skills she acquired as a kunoichi. This was the reason why she was placed in this mission. Who could ever resist her?

A sudden noise made her pause as she reached the corner. Plastering herself against the wall, she slightly peeked over the corner to see where the noise came from.

It was Kein and he had a young, blue haired woman pushed up against the wall. She looked scared and slightly struggled against his hold, but, when the hand against her throat tightened, she stopped.

"You think you can escape me? Escape this place?" Kein hissed out. "I control everything here. I control you."

"P-Please," the woman gasped out. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to go look for her. I haven't seen her in days!"

The woman chocked a bit more and Kein went to open his mouth when he heard a loud noise. He quickly pulled away and stood 5 feet away from her and saw a small vase roll across the hallway.

Moments later, a small, white haired rabbit quickly jumped out of the corner and towards the outside porch towards the grass.

Kein glared at the vase and then at the woman. She fearfully stared back at him and watched as he then calmly walked away from her.

Sakura quietly leaned against the wall and heard the slight shuffle of clothing as the woman slid down the wall and began to softly cry. She then quietly flickered away to go tell the boys what she had just witnessed.

* * *

_Oh, Sakura. What are you going to do about this?..._


	7. The Beginning

Sakura sat across the table from Sasuke and Naruto. Her elbows were placed on the surface and she rested her chin on her hands as she recounted the scene she witnessed earlier today. When finished, silence took over the room.

Naruto's face scrunched up as he stared over Sakura's shoulders. Sasuke stared down at the wooden table with his arms crossed over his chest. They both were reacting to the story and as Sakura watched them both, she couldn't help but feel a sense of pride fill throughout her body. Years ago, Naruto would have sprouted something idiotic and Sasuke would have said something insulting. Now, they were acting like adults and actually taking their missions seriously.

_Things have changed since we were young_.

"Something isn't right here." Sakura and Sasuke looked at Naruto as he continued with his thought. "The way Kein is behaving just doesn't add up."

"I agree," Sakura said. She ran a hand through her long hair and briefly thought about getting a haircut as she sighed. "I also don't like the fact that we haven't seen Daizo since that first day. It's been weeks and there's been no glimpse of him then."

"I noticed that, too," Sasuke chimed in next. "I've been looking around, trying to get any information from the villagers here and, apparently, he only shows himself once a month to the public eye and then disappears. Even his workers don't see him until that day."

"Does he even live in the village then?" Naruto said. Sasuke shrugged in answer.

"What the hell is going on here?" Sakura muttered before flickering her eyes back towards them. "Well that's settled then."

"What is?" Naruto and Sasuke said in unison. They paused and looked at each other before staring back at Sakura. Sakura let out a small smirk as she peered at them over her hands.

"I guess it's time for phase two," she said nonchalantly. She stretched her hands above her head and yawned. A part of her almost wanted to laugh at the curious looks _both _of them were throwing at her. Well, Sasuke's was a mixture of irritation as well, but that made it all the more better.

All three of them sat in silence for a couple more seconds until Naruto sighed.

"What exactly _is_ phase two?" He finally asked. Through the corner of his eyes, he saw Sasuke's tense form relaxed once he asked the question. Naruto almost shook his head at Sasuke's stubbornness. He could almost feel the beginnings of a headache forming. He didn't think he could last long as middleman between them two. _I understand now how everyone felt about Sasuke and I when we used to be at each other's throats. _

"Well phase two is of course the seduction part. _My _part. By tomorrow night, I will be in Daizo's room, one way or another."

They both stared at her for a second before Sasuke stood up and slammed his hands on the table.

"You're not going _anywhere_ near there," Sasuke growled. She expected the outburst, but not the sudden fierceness in his words.

"This isn't your decision to make, Sasuke. I'm captain and I have decided that it's time for the next phase!"

"Well, I won't allow it!" Sasuke briskly turned around and headed to the door.

"Where the hell are you—" Sakura was cut off by him slamming the door shut. Right now, she was never more than happy to have their quarters in a deserted section of the mansion. Sighing, she pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes to calm the rush of heat through her body.

"I should go and talk to him."

Sakura quickly opened her eyes at the sound of Naruto's voice. She had forgotten that he was still in the room. He currently had a disapproving look and she couldn't guess for the life of her if it was aimed at her or Sasuke. Most likely it was at both of them and the way she saw him shake his head and rub the back of his neck in discomfort made her immediately fill with guilt.

Seeing the two people he cared about the most must have been killing him. She really wanted to make Naruto happy. It really wasn't that hard. Even if Team 7 was most likely never going to be the way it was in the past, the least she could do was try to get along with Sasuke. It was just that he affected her in a way that she would really rather avoid.

He would bring back all these feelings that she worked so hard to get rid off and, in a way, you could say that it scared her. She was strong now, she could take care of her own, and she could take care of Konoha. She didn't need other people to rescue her during missions because of her foolishness. She didn't need other people making sure she did her job right. She was independent and had her own reputation than the girl who used to be teammates with Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Kakashi Hatake.

Sasuke's presence was ruining that. He risked destroying the very foundation of rules that she set for herself all those years ago.

She hated it, but what she hated more was disappointing Naruto any further. She didn't know how he did it. How he was able to be so forgiving and understanding. He deserved so much more than this crazy group of people.

Sighing once again, she ran a hand through her hair and said, "No. I'll go talk to him."

Naruto opened his mouth, but then closed it and shook his head. He then gave a wry smile and said, "Just don't let me find either one of you dead later on."

She gave him a small smile. "I make no promises."

* * *

Sasuke walked briskly down the hallway and out into the field. It was getting late now and most likely time for dinner, but he really didn't have an appetite tonight after everything that just happened.

He just couldn't understand why Sakura felt the need to get into Daizo's room. Of all the stupidest things he's ever heard, and this is the guy who was friends with Naruto, Sakura's mission to seduce Daizo topped them all.

There was no need to put herself in unnecessary danger. Naruto and him could find another way to get into his rooms. He had the Sharingan for goodness sakes! He could sneak in and out of the dark in a heartbeat without anyone figuring out, but Sakura refused to listen to other alternatives. It was like she was trying to prove something.

_Well, isn't she._

Sasuke frowned. She _was_, wasn't she? Sakura may have changed, but if there was one thing that never went away, it was her stubbornness. When they were young, she always tried to prove to him that she was perfect to be with him. That she would be the perfect Uchiha Matriarch and would be able to take care of him. Now, that devotion seemed to change into proving him that she was strong.

It was always for him and he realized, at that moment, that's what bothered him the most. She should have been focusing her attention on someone else, someone who was more deserving than him. He has made so many mistakes in his life; he really had no room to be giving out praises. His soul was damaged and, if anything, he should be the one who was working to gain other people's respect.

And Sakura was one of them. She was perfect the way she was. She proved a long time ago that she could hold her own; she didn't need to continue doing it. She didn't need to do these _missions_. She shouldn't _have_ to.

At first, he'll admit that he thought she couldn't do it because she didn't have experience, but when Tsunade and Naruto explained to him that this wasn't the first time, something inside of him tightened. He could still remember the coil of anger at the thought of other men touching Sakura so intimately, just for the sake of a mission. He wanted to be disgusted at Sakura, which was why he was so rude towards her during the beginning of their mission, but he couldn't. But, hell, did it pained him.

The Sakura he remembered was pure. She was smart, but ditzy when it came to the matter of the heart. He didn't even want to start to imagine the kinds of men she had to become _intimate _with. Yes, it was great that she was focused on her duties more than her vanity, but it still didn't reduce the conflicting emotions tumbling throughout his body.

It was madness. Nothing was the same anymore and the more time he spent around her, the more he wanted to pull his hair out of its roots. Even Naruto wasn't the same anymore. The loud and eager boy he grew up with was now calm and understanding. He no longer had to jump in the midst of things to get his point across or be on the brink of death to show his strength. It was now a part of him; showing proudly in just the way he walked and looked at other people.

Once again, a familiar feeling he has been feeling lately known as regret began to take a place among his other emotions. He regretted not realizing the consequences would be worse than his revenge. He regretted not staying in Konoha and becoming stronger along the rest of the Rookie 9. He regretted not growing up with his teammates and enjoying their shenanigans. He regretted not bringing the kind of honor his clan should have upheld from the very beginning.

Standing in the middle of the field, Sasuke stared up into the dark sky. He took out his carton of cigarette, pulled out one, and lit it up. Taking a drag, he pocketed the lighter and carton.

The sounds of footsteps reached his ears and he sensed the familiar energy of chakra. Drawing in another drag, he kept his eyes towards the sky and felt Sakura stand next to him.

"Do you have another cigarette I can borrow?"

Sasuke blinked and tore his eyes from the sky to look at her. She was staring at the sky with her hands shoved in her pockets. She didn't look at him until he gave her one. When she did, she gave a small smile and lit it up with the lighter he also offered her.

After a while, and realizing she wasn't going to say or do anything besides smoke next to him, he turned back to the sky, but he was no longer really looking at it. His thoughts once again were on his pink-haired companion and the frustration and confusion she always seemed to bring with her.

The fact that she wasn't scolding him on his smoking habit and, instead, joining him was another mystery that seemed to define her.

Eventually, the silence began to bother him. Even _he _had his limits. "What do you want?"

"I came here to talk to you."

"If this is about your plan then you can forget it. I told you already that I do not like this plan."

"Sasuke, I _have _to go," she said calmly.

"No, you—"

"Yes, I _do. _This is what I was trained to do. I know what I'm doing, Sasuke." He could tell that she was becoming irritable. It wasn't really that hard to figure out since her voice turned clip and hard. But he didn't care about that. He could bet that she wasn't as frustrated with him as he was becoming with her.

Couldn't she see that this was insane? He was starting to become desperate as well. He couldn't understand. It was unfathomable, idiotic, and downright annoying. He didn't like this Sakura. He didn't _want _this Sakura. He wanted the innocent girl that used to look at him with clear eyes. He wanted the girl that was safe and away from prying, dirty hands.

He wanted the girl that used to be head over heels for him.

But it was all too late for that. He made sure of that. However, he could learn from his mistake and if he wanted her to understand then he needed to help her see that he really did care.

"What if something happens when you're in there? How are we supposed to know if you're okay?" He muttered. He looked away and whispered his next sentence so softly he didn't know if she heard. "Can't they send somebody else?"

Silence once again filled the air, but he did see her pause, from the corners of his eyes, and see her tense shoulders relax as she took another drag.

"Sasuke," she said softly now. "Who do you think would take over my place if I stepped down?"

At this, he fully turned towards her and furrowed his eyebrows at her statement. She turned as well and let out a bitter smile.

"Hinata's too innocent for this. I could never do that to Naruto. You _know_ he's been trying to convince Hinata's dad for her hand in marriage. Tenten's three months pregnant and even if she weren't, Neji would _never _let her do it. The Hokage does not need the Hyuuga clan against her. We need them on our side."

"What about the blonde one?"

Sakura shook her head. "Ino's not strong enough. At least not mentally. She didn't even finish the training."

Sasuke hunched his shoulders in defeat. Now that she explained, he could see why she would be the best choice. That still didn't mean he had to like it. And, at that moment, as she gave him a slightly sad smile and said, "You don't have to worry about me, Sasuke. I'm already damaged. One more won't change anything," he realized that he would do everything in his power to fix the mistakes he's ever done towards her.

Shaking his head, he said, "Sakura, you are _not _damaged. You're too strong for that." With that being said, he flicked his cigarette and shoved his hands inside his pockets and started heading back to their room, leaving a stunned Sakura behind him.

* * *

1. Sasuke has finally come to terms with himself about his feelings and Sakura has finally seen the softer side of him.

2. It took so long for me to figure out how I was going to make Sasuke see the light without him automatically jumping into unfamiliar territory. We all know he's a complicated little man and having him see the light automatically just sounds a bit rushed to me.

3. I'm also trying to make Naruto more mature than just the goofy, idiotic guy that a lot of people like to portray him as. He has his moments of seriousness as we can all see from the many relationships he has developed from both friend and foe.

4. With Kakashi, I still have no idea how I'm going to put him in the story or if he's even going to have a major role. I know I want to bring up his issues with Sakura's seduction missions, but I don't know how yet. I guess I'll see what I can come up with unless you guys can help me brainstorm.

5. These author's notes may look familiar. I've decided to borrow this idea from some other authors. Don't ask me from where because I've already forgotten (I think the story was called _House Medic_) but I loved how it helped to further explain the point of the chapter and interact with the readers. I mean fanfiction would be nothing without you guys and who knows maybe we can be friends.


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